This invention relates to real-time work centers in general and to call centers in particular.
One of the problems of managing a real-time work center is deciding when to allow new work to enter the center and when to deny entry. For example, given a call center that does not operate around-the-clock, customer calls to the call center that occur near the call center""s closing time must be either refused or diverted to another call center if the calls are not expected to be answered and/or completed by the scheduled closing time.
In the prior art, this is typically done by vector programming, where a fixed time is chosen for ceasing to accept new calls, e.g., ten minutes before closing time. For example, one known system can be structured to have pre-programmed closing/opening times in its scripts that either control call distribution in a multi-site environment or control call distribution to various skills in a single-site environment. There are serious flaws with this approach. For example, for a skill with an average call-handling time of three minutes, if ten minutes before the closing time there are no calls in queue and agents are available, then seven minutes of potentially productive work time will be lost. Conversely, if ten minutes before closing time the call wait-time in queue is 15 minutes, then either agents will have to work eight minutes beyond the closing time to handle old waiting calls, or already-enqueued calls will have to be abandoned.
Another known approach is to have a xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d skill defined into which a manager of a call center logs in to close the center and logs out of to open the center. In vectoring, if there are agents logged in to the xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d skill, the center (or a part of it) is assumed to be closed.
To determine the opening/closing of the call center, the xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d skill is monitored. If the xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d skill is staffed, the site cannot take a call. If the xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d skill is not staffed, and if there are xe2x80x9csufficientxe2x80x9d resources to support a predictable level of operation (e.g., if there are more than a predetermined minimum number of agents logged into the call center), the center is considered open. This approach leaves open the question of when the manager should log into the xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d skill to close the call center.
This invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. Generally, according to the invention, acceptance or rejection of new work at a work center is conditioned on whether the work arrival time plus anticipated wait time and service time for this type of work exceeds the work center""s closing time by some margin (e.g. a predetermined amount of time, down to and including zero).
According to the invention, a method of operating a work center comprises determining if a sum of arrival time plus anticipated wait time plus anticipated service time of a work item exceeds a closing time of the work center by a margin, and then accepting or rejecting the work item depending on whether it is determined that the sum does or does not exceed the closing time by the margin. The margin is illustratively nil. Preferably, these considerations are made separately for each type of work item serviced by the work center, e.g., individually for each skill/split served by a call center. Also preferably, the rejecting comprises redirecting the work item to another work center if it is determined that the other work center can service the work item by its closing time. The invention thus ensures that the work center will likely complete servicing of waiting work items by its closing time, without unnecessarily refusing work items whose servicing can likely be completed by the work center""s closing time.
While the invention has been characterized in terms of a method, it also encompasses apparatus that performs the method. The apparatus preferably includes an effectorxe2x80x94any entity that effects the corresponding step, unlike a meansxe2x80x94for each step. The invention further encompasses any computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed in a computer, cause the computer to perform the method steps.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention considered together with the drawing.